Quick Q&A With Jackie Evancho

How does one get asked to sing at a presidential inauguration, anyway?
I was in New York at the time, and my manager just mentioned that he could get a meeting with Trump’s people. I thought, That’s cool. Let’s see what happens. I didn’t see it as a political thing.
And when you went up on stage and it was your turn, did everyone just … get quiet?
I’m not sure what it was like in the audience. But when I stepped up there, everything went silent in my head. Maybe everyone was holding their breath. I can say it was a very nerve-racking stage to sing on.
You’ve sung for Barack Obama in the past, and now Donald Trump with three former presidents in attendance (Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, and George W. Bush). If you keep this up, you could theoretically sing for, like, a dozen presidents.
Ever since the inauguration, I’ve made that one of my goals, actually!
Your new record has more pop music than your previous, classical ones. Is that what you’re gravitating toward?
I’ve always had a curiosity about it. As I get older, my voice has developed a pop side, and there are pop stars whose sound I really like. Lana Del Rey, for example—she has this dark, beautiful feel to her music, and I wanted to see if I could do that. So I co-wrote three or four songs on the album, and they’re very much pop. I wanted to test my limits and surprise some people.
What’s the most unusual song on your phone right now?
I haven’t listened to it in a little while, but I really like Marilyn Manson’s version of “Sweet Dreams.”
That’s more than unusual! That’s scary!
I know. I guess I have a tendency to listen to darker artists. My mom loves him, so maybe that’s why.
Wait, your mom loves Marilyn Manson? Did she play that in your house, too?
She did. My house never had one strict genre. That’s kind of why I try everything now.